The Difference Between an SUV & a Van

by Richard Rowe

Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Graham Richardson

The basic differences between SUVs and vans come down to their intended uses. Automakers design SUVs for towing, hauling, and off-road performance, whereas they build vans for transporting people or cargo.

Chassis

Full-sized vans are almost mechanically identical to SUVs, in that they use nearly the same structural and drive-train parts.

Van Strengths

Vans are usually tall and boxy with a low floor and minimal ground clearance. This makes them spacious and efficient people-movers or cargo-movers.

SUV Strengths

SUVs are usually lighter than vans but have the same chassis and powertrain. This gives them a higher power-to-weight ratio, making for better towing and off-road performance.

Ground Clearance

Because they are more biased for off-road use, SUVs often have much more ground clearance than vans.

Drivetrain

Although it is an option on many models, most vans lack the true four-wheel-drive systems commonly found on SUVs.

Gross Weight

Both SUVs and vans must have a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 8,500 lbs., but the lower mass of most SUVs means that they can often tow more weight and still remain within their rated GVWR.

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